Automatic doffing apparatus

ABSTRACT

An automatic doffing apparatus adapted for use with an open end spinning machine having a plurality of spinning units arranged in side-by-side relation, for doffing full packages one by one from the respective spinning units during operation of the spinning machine while travelling along the front face of the spinning machine. The apparatus comprises a rotary doffer for disengaging the full package from a traversing roller, domounting the full package from a bobbin holder and then mounting an empty bobbin in the bobbin holder; and a cutting and suction device for cutting a spun yarn between the traversing roller and a take-up roller and lapping one of the cut yarn ends around the empty bobbin.

United States Patent Kose et al. Feb. 12, 1974 [54] AUTOMATIC DOFFING APPARATUS 3,370,412 2/1968 Franzen et al. 57/53 [151 Km; Kiwkm Horn Kw 3233'??? 35133 iiiii ziiiiiiijiii 242,355 R X Ochi, all of Wakayama, Japan Assignees: Daiwa Boseki; Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki, Seisakusho, Kariyashi, both of, Japan Filed: May 28, 1971 Appl. No.: 147,814

Foreign Application Priority Data June 1, 1970 Japan 45-47776 June 10, 1970 Japan 45-53931 US. Cl. 57/53, 57/58.89 Int. Cl. D01h 9/10, DOlh 1/12 Field of Search 57/52, 53, 58.89-58.95,

57/34 R; 242/355 R, 35.5 A

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Primary ExaminerJohn Petrakes Attorney, Agent, or FirmWaters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen [57] ABSTRACT An automatic doffing apparatus adapted for use with an open end spinning machine having a plurality of spinning units arranged in side-by-side relation, for doffing full packages one by one from the respective spinning units during operation of the spinning machine while travelling along the front face of the spin ning machine. The apparatus comprises a rotary doffer for disengaging the full package from a traversing roller, domounting the full package from a bobbin holder and then mounting an empty bobbin in the bobbin holder; and a cutting and suction device for cutting a spun yarn between the traversing roller and a take-up roller and lapping one of the cut yarn ends around the empty bobbin.

14 Claims, 49 Drawing Figures PAI ENTEn m1 1 2 m4 sum as or 18 msmtunmnu mamas SMET D70? 18 PAIENIEDmmm $791012 saw user-1a Pmm rmm u wanna sum mar 18 PATENIEI] FEB l 2 UN SHEU 18 0F 18 AUTOMATIC DOFFING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an automatic doffing method and apparatus adapted for use with an open end spinning machine of the type in which a yarn is spun from a staple fiber and the spun yarn is directly taken up to form a package.

2. Description of the Prior Art An apparatus for automatically doffing a package of yarn wound on a bobbin is presently known and used in a quick traverse winder (normally called winder). The winder with auto-doffer is basically designed such that each of winding units is circulated, that the winding unit is not provided with a draft or drawing mechanism and the rewinding yarn is drawn in a free state and that the feed of the yarn is readily interrupted on interruption of the winding operation. Therefore, the conditions that the feed of the yarn can be stopped without causing any detrimental effect when the full package is to be doffed from the winder and that the doffing operation can be carried out at a predetermined position of the winder, are very advantageous for the automatic doffing of the package.

However, in case of an open end spinning machine in the which a yarn is constantly spun from a fibrous material at a fixed speed and the resultant spun yarn is taken up in the form of a cheese, the automatic doffing of the cheese or package must be carried out under conditions substantially different from those in case of the winder, by reason of the following facts:

a. each of a plurality of spinning units arranged sideby-side does not move like the traverse winder,

b. the spun yarn is continuously delivered even during the doffing operation, and

c. the yarn is wound continuously even during the doffing operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic doffing in the open end spinning machine. According to the invention, each of a plurality of full packages is sequentially automatically demounted and replaced by an empty bobbin without necessitating interruption of the spinning operation even under such conditions and restrictions set forth above, whereby the doffing operation which has been carried out manually by two or three workers, can be achieved mechanically and automatically.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an automatic doffing apparatus for use with an open end spinning machine having a plurality of spinning units arranged in side-by-side relation, for doffing full packages from the respective spinning units one by one while while travelling along the front face of said spinning machine during operation of the same, said apparatus comprising a rotary doffer including means for releasing the package holding action of each bobbin holder of the spinning machine, a package receiving plate for receiving the package from said bobbin holder and a catcher for feeding an empty bobbin to said bobbin holder, said rotary doffer being rotated one complete turn about a horizontal shaft during every cycle of operation for demounting the package from the bobbin holder and mounting an empty bobbin in said holder; and cutting and suction means including a cutter for cutting the spun yarn and suction nozzle for temporarily sucking the cut yarn end leading to the spinning unit at a speed corresponding to the spun yarn delivery speed and lapping said cut yarn end around the empty bobbin. By doffing the packages automatically sequentially from the spinning machine during its operation while moving the main body of the abovedescribed doffing apparatus, it becomes possible to save labor, to automatize the doffing operation, to enhance productivity and to reduce production costs.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an automatic doffing method in an open end spinning machine having a plurality of spinning units arranged in side-by-side relation, said method comprising moving a movable unit having a rotary doffer including a package receiving plate, and a cutter for cutting a spun yarn, along the front face of the spinning machine while rotating said rotary doffer; cutting the spun yarn between a winding drum and a take-up roller; disengaging a package from the winding drum and receiving said package by said package receiving plate from a bobbin holder of said spinning unit; discharging the package from said package receiving plate incident to rotation of said rotary doffer; engaging the cut yarn end leading to the spinning unit around the empty bobbin being held by said rotary doffer and mounting said empty bobbin in said bobbin holder; a cycle of said doffing operation being effected during one complete rotation of said rotary doffer.

The present invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outline of one of spinning units of an open end spinning machine;

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the essential portions of the open end spinning machine and an embodiment of the automatic doffing apparatus according to the present invention;

FIGS. 3a 3e are a set of diagrams illustrating, in side elevation, the operation of the spun yarn cutting and suction device;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are a plan view and a side view showing the essential portion of the spun yarn cutting and suction device respectively;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are a side view and a plan view of a rotary doffer respectively;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are a set of side views illustrating the reversal mechanism for the empty bobbin mounting catcher respectively;

FIG. 10 is a side view showing the details of the reversal mechanism;

FIG. 11 is a side view of the reversal mechanism looking in a direction of XIXI of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 12a 12d are a set of diagrams illustrating, in side elevation, the doffing operation of the rotary doffer step-by-step sequentially;

FIGS. 13a l3e are a set of diagrams illustrating, in side elevation, the empty bobbin mounting operation of the rotary doffer step-by-step sequentially;

FIG. 14 is a schematic side view illustrating the relative motion of the rotary doffer and an empty bobbin feed nipper;

FIGS. 15 and 16 are a side view and a front view of a the empty bobbin feed nipper respectively; 

1. In an apparatus for doffing full packages one by one from a plurality of spinning units, arranged side-by-side, of an open end spinning machine while travelling along the front face of said spinning machine, each of said spinning units having a bobbin holder for a holding a bobbin to be wound by a spun yarn therearound to make the full package, the improvement comprising; a rotary doffer rotatable about a horizontal axis and having a mechanism for releasing said bobbin from said bobbin holder; a package receiving plate for receiviNg the full package released from said bobbon holder; a catcher for supplying an empty bobbin to said holder; cutting and suction mechanism including a cutter for cutting the spun yarn and for imparting suction for lapping the cut yarn end around said empty bobbin; and means for rotating said doffer about its axis, wherein a cycle of operation of dismounting the package from the holder and mounting the empty bobbin in said holder is effected during one complete turn of the doffer.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a pinion rotatable about its axis for transmitting the rotation to said rotary doffer, said pinion being meshed with a guiding rack rail extending along the front face of the spinning machine for guiding the apparatus therealong.
 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bobbin releasing mechanism is a cam, the developed periphery of which is inclined in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of said apparatus.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said rotary doffer further includes a gutter for guiding the package, received by the package receiving plate, in a package delivering direction.
 5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the center of the catcher is offset from the center of the gutter in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the apparatus.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said package receiving plate has its outer end portion curved in the rotating direction of the rotary doffer and pushes up the package from a winding drum at said end.
 7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein means is provided to reverse the direction of said catcher.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cutter is provided with a V-shaped yarn guide for guiding the spun yarn.
 9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cutting and suction mechanism is unitarily movable between a delivery roller and a winding drum from a position to cut the spun yarn to a position to lap the cut yarn end around an empty bobbin.
 10. An apparatus according to claim 1, which further comprises means for feeding empty bobbins to the catcher.
 11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said empty bobbin feed means includes a nipper provided at its end for grasping the empty bobbin and a rod reciprocated towards and away from the moving path of the catcher.
 12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said empty bobbin feed means further includes a hopper for accommodating a number of empty bobbins, a conveyor for delivering said empty bobbins one by one from said hopper, and means for receiving the empty bobbin from said conveyor and carrying the same towards said nipper.
 13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said package receiving plate is rotatable non-synchronously with the rotation of a rotary body so as to quickly discharge the package received thereby.
 14. A method of doffing full packages one by one from a plurality of spinning units, arranged side-by-side, of an open end spinning machine, said method comprising moving along the front face of said machine a movable assembly comprising a rotary body having a package receiving plate, and a cutter for cutting a spun yarn, while rotating said rotary body; cutting the spun yarn beneath a winding drum; releasing the engagement between a package and a winding drum to receive the package on the package receiving plate from a bobbin holder; discharging the package from the package receiving plate under inertia created by the rotation of the rotary body; lapping the cut yarn end around said empty bobbin being held stationary; and mounting said empty bobbin in said bobbin holder; a cycle of the above-described operations being effected during every full rotation of said rotary body. 